Goethe in Context

A broad, thorough overview of Goethe's life and multi-disciplinary career, exploring his varied cultural links and his lasting impact today.

Charlotte Lee (Edited by)

9781316511039, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 23 May 2024

438 pages
23.5 x 16 x 2.8 cm, 0.78 kg

'The book series Literature in Context has established itself in the English-speaking world as a renowned resource for literary reference works. In the series, established literary scholars offer high-quality, informative, and accessible texts on their respective areas of expertise, always with a focus on a specific author.… With the volume on Goethe in Context, edited and superbly curated by Charlotte Lee, the still most canonical author of the German-speaking literary world is now also represented in the renowned series.' Dennis Schäfer, Zeitschrift für Germanistik

One of the most prolific and versatile writers of all time, Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1749–1832) made an impact that continues to extend far beyond his native Germany. The variety of human questions and experiences treated in his works is arguably without parallel. He also had (for his era) an unusually long life, which spanned the French Revolution, the end of the Holy Roman Empire and subsequent reshaping of the German-speaking world, and the rapid onset of industrial modernity. In thirty-seven short essays, leading international scholars explore Goethe's life and times, his literary works, his activity in the realms of art, philosophy and natural science, his reception of – and indeed by – other cultures, and, finally, the resonance of his work in our time. The aim of this collection is to open as many windows as possible onto Goethe's wide-ranging intellectual and practical activity, and to give a sense of his ongoing importance.

Introduction Charlotte Lee
Part I. Life and Times: 1. The life Nicholas Boyle
2. Frankfurt and Weimar Joachim Whaley
3. Weimar court and society Astrid Köhler
4. Goethe as civil servant Stephanie Galasso
5. Class Matthew Bell
6. The French revolution W. Daniel Wilson
7. Religion Yael Almog
Part II. Literature: 8. Poetry Charlotte Lee
9. Drama Thomas Martinec
10. Prose Sarah Vandegrift Eldridge
11. 'Faust' T. J. Reed
12. 'Wilhelm Meister' Frederick Amrine
13. Classicism Steffan Davies
14. Romanticism Stefan Matuschek
Part III. Art: 15. Greek and Roman art Katherine Harloe
16. Goethe's drawings Petra Maisak
17. Goethe the collector Catriona MacLeod
18. Goethe and the invention of the Weimar landscape Liliane Weissberg
Part IV. Philosophy and Science: 19. Goethe and philosophy Willi Goetschel
20. Goethe's improper mode of thought Clark S. Muenzer
21. Goethe and German idealism Gabriel Trop
22. Morphology Claudia Nitschke
23. Colour theory Gerhard Lauer
24. Geology Jennifer Caisley
Part V. World Cultures: Inspiration and Reception: 25. Italy Grazia Pulvirenti and Renata Gambino
26. Britain Anne Bohnenkamp
27. France Robert Vilain
28. Iran Amir Irani-Tehrani
29. China Johannes D. Kaminski
30. America Daniel Carranza
31. Weltliteratur (world literature) Angus Nicholls
Part VI. Goethe's Lasting Significance: 32. Faust and modernity Michael Jaeger
33. Goethe's portrayal of love: family, same-sex, and non-exclusive Susan E. Gustafson
34. Goethe and the musical world Mark Austin
35. Goethe and our endangered natural world Heather I. Sullivan
36. Goethe out of context postscript: oracle bones Frederick Amrine.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: general [DSB]